By Matt Taibbi, Rolling Stone: A Bad Arrest, on Video

30.5.15

A Bad Arrest, on Video: In the lawsuit, [readersupportednews.org] Fields accused the city and the two officers of violating his civil rights by falsely arresting and maliciously prosecuting him and using excessive force. A spokesman for the New York City Law Department, which represented the officers in the civil suit, declined to comment on the specifics of the case, saying only, "After reviewing all the evidence, we determined that a settlement was in the best interest of the city."

The absurdity began when Fields, who lives not far from where 28-year-old Akai Gurley was killed in an East New York project stairwell by a police bullet last November, decided on February 22nd, 2013, to go to the grocery store.

But when he got downstairs, he ran into a female friend who stopped him. She suggested he go back inside, because there were a bunch of police officers in the building and it was better to steer clear of whatever was going on.